NCJ Number
178251
Date Published
August 1999
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This report presents data on why and how the American public would change the criminal justice system.
Abstract
Despite plunging crime rates, a substantial majority of the public would like to see the criminal justice system changed dramatically. In November 1998, when 4,000 adults in nine northeastern states were asked whether they thought the criminal justice system works well enough the way it is, three-quarters of them preferred totally revamping the system. The public, and crime victims, wanted a broader set of outcomes from sentencing than are currently available; the outcomes most important to the public are often not realized by sentences currently imposed on offenders. Both the public and crime victims believed that victims and their families should be provided certain rights, opportunities and services as part of the criminal justice process; only a minority believed that crime victims usually get these rights in their states. The report presents highlights of the full survey report in 39 graphs and charts. Figures, notes